A rumor spread like wildfire in Philadelphia on Monday morning that Jon Gruden, former coach of the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers and current Monday Night Football commentator, would replace Andy Reid as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. The rumor ran so rampant that the team felt compelled to issue a denial that said, “Early this morning we have received several inquiries regarding the rumors regarding Andy Reid and Jon Gruden. This was simply a rumor and there is no basis to it at all. It is simply not true.”

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have traded for Tight End Kellen Wilslow Jr., formally of the Clevland Browns. The deal is for undisclosed draft picks. Depending on what those draft picks turn out to be, if they Eagles could have been in this coversation, would you be willing to have given the Browns a 2nd round pick for Wilsow?

This is the kind of move that makes me mad, I dont know what rouund choices the Bucs gave up, but I think Wilsow would be a great get for the Birds.

Overall, I think the Eagles need a blocking Tight end more then a pass catching tight end, but they cant expect Brent Celeck to be an every-down guy and expect to be able to run the ball effectivly. He couldnt block you or me at this stage of his career. The kid can get open and catch passes, but his blocking is as bad as an Adam Eaton start.

Those of you who still are holding out hope for Tony Gonzalez, I wouldnt hold your breath. When was the last time you heard his name mentioned in trade talks. Now that Todd Haley is there and Scott Peoli is in place, Tony G. is fine right where he is. Kansas City will be everyones Miami Dolphins this year. A team that stunk the joint up and then makes the playoffs the next season.

“The most accurate football simulation ever.” This is what the new NFL Madden 09 video game boasts. I figured, if this is the case, why not preview the entire NFL season simply through Madden. The skeptic may think, “well Kevin, Brett Favre is on the Packers, not the Jets in Madden 09 amongst other roster flaws, how is this accurate?” Well let me tell you, at the time simulation, the rosters were downloaded straight from EA Sports most recent update. They are as accurate as possible.

As seen above, this is the first part in a 3 part series of entries. Today I will preview the NFC. One of the great things about Madden is that it calculates MVPs, Pro-Bowlers, etc. These too will all be listed in this and the upcoming articles.

Before we start, let me just reassure the reader I did absolutely nothing to interfere with the outcomes of games, trades, etc. I simply pressed the “sim entire season” button. Here’s how the NFC stacked up…

At 37 years old, Joey Galloway is still the Bucs main weapon on offense.

by Michael Gill

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will try to do something this season that no other team in the NFC South has ever done – repeat as division champions.

If they are to win the division, according to Buccaneers beat reporter Scott Reynolds from www.pewterreport.com they could learn as early as week one. “They play New Orleans on opening weekend, if they can steal a win there, they can get in the driver’s seat.”

The Bucs will again rely on a strong running game. Earnest Graham came out-of-nowhere to rush for 898 yards along with 10 touchdowns. That output earned him a nice new three-year, $10.5-million deal. “This is Graham’s job now,” said Reynolds.

He will be spelled by former Buc Warrick Dunn and Michael Bennett. “They have a plethora of running backs and can pound it at you,” Reynolds added. The wild-card could be former first-round pick Cadillac Williams, who just hasn’t been able to stay on the field. “He still hasn’t practiced, and won’t play in the preseason,” said Reynolds. Read the rest of this entry »

While the AFC might have the top teams in the NFL, the race for the six spots in the NFC playoffs could be more exciting than the Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal final Wimbledon match.

The NFC could play out just like the NBA’s Eastern Conference, with the Dallas Cowboys playing the role of the Boston Celtics and a bunch of other teams vying for spots two-through-six. Other than Dallas, there really isn’t a clear-cut favorite in the NFC, with the Brett Favre circus in Green Bay who knows what to predict for the Packers. The defending champion Giants didn’t really overly-impress during the 2007 regular season and it wouldn’t be a complete shock if they suffered from a “Super Bowl hangover.” In Seattle, the Seahawks should be the favorite in the NFC West, but I wouldn’t say they are the class of the Conference. Read the rest of this entry »